5 Things to Look for when Buying Protein

Protein is the building block of our body. It is the macro nutrient which preserves muscle mass during weight-loss. For this reason, protein is a vital part of the Mindful Living Protocol. Every person has different protein intake needs. Click here to calculate how much protein you should be eating daily. While the quantity of protein is important, so is quality. In order to determine the quality of a protein you need to consider the following 5 factors:

1. Source:

First ask, where is the protein coming from? Is it directly from an animal or are you using an isolate? If it’s an isolate, is it whey protein, pea protein, or soy protein? Be careful because not all protein is created the same. You can learn more about the different types of protein here.

2. Absorption Rate:

Different sources of protein have different absorption rates. Only 70% of the protein in lean meat gets absorbed. While on the other hand 90% of the protein in isolates gets absorbed. Your body absorbs more protein per calorie with isolates compared to traditional animal protein. This is because the isolate is already broken down prior to consumption. With isolates, you eat less calories and get more protein.

3. Opportunity cost:

Some protein products have a higher opportunity cost than others. For example, a delicious Mindful Living Caramel Crunch bar has 15 grams of protein. The opportunity cost of the 15g of protein is 14g of net carbs. Meaning in order to consume the 15 grams of protein, one also must eat 14 grams of carbs. This product is super sweet and has almost a one to one ratio of protein to carbs. For that reason, we do not recommend eating more than one of these bars a day. We want to compare the Caramel Crunch bar to a product like Bipro Protein Water. Bipro has 20g of protein and 0 carbs. Meaning there is no opportunity cost. Thorough the context of measuring opportunity cost, protein water is superior to the bar. Protein water provides higher amounts of protein, without the carbs.

4. Taste:

It is hard to eat a product every day which does not taste good. Protein needs to become a part of your lifestyle, so it’s important you find a kind you like. Taste is a large reason people buy different types of protein products. They do not want to get tired of their protein choices. For that reason, we invite you to buy proteins that taste different and figure out a weekly meal plan which works for you!

5. Price:

As a practical person you want to find the highest quality protein for the lowest possible price. This can be tough to do since there are so many choices on the market. In order to save money, we recommend you buy your products in bulk from Protein Buyers Club. The clubs allows you to get protein shipped straight from manufactures, greatly reducing cost. The site also offers free delivery and is full of Mindful Living approved products.